Attorney Christian Lassen, a nationally recognized life insurance lawyer and founder of The Lassen Law Firm, was recently quoted in The Wall Street Journal in a major feature exploring the challenges terminally ill individuals face when trying to access accelerated death benefits from life insurance policies. The article, titled "A Death-Sentence Diagnosis and the Wrenching Realities of Life Insurance", illustrates how insurers often deny or delay these claims—leaving policyholders and their families financially and emotionally stranded.
The Reality Behind Accelerated Death Benefits
Accelerated death benefits—also called “living benefits”—allow a terminally ill person to receive a portion of their life insurance payout while still alive. In theory, this offers relief for those grappling with medical expenses and planning for their family's future. In practice, insurers often use vague policy language, narrow interpretations, and shifting medical criteria to avoid paying these benefits.
As the WSJ article describes, even when policyholders meet the criteria on paper, insurers frequently challenge claims by questioning the severity, documentation, or timing of the illness. The article notes that claims are often rejected because the condition is too recent, not well-documented, or—most commonly—not expected to cause death within the time limit specified by the policy, which is usually 6 to 24 months.
Christian Lassen's Perspective in the WSJ
Attorney Christian Lassen, quoted in the article, commented on how insurance companies frequently rely on policy technicalities to deny benefits:
“I’ve seen firsthand how commonly insurers weaponize the fine print,” said Christian Lassen, a Philadelphia, Pa.-based plaintiff attorney.
This quote reflects what our firm sees every day—insurers exploiting minor discrepancies or overly strict timelines to avoid paying legitimate benefits. It’s not just about terminal illness claims either. The same bad-faith strategies are often used to deny full life insurance payouts after a death.
Denied While Dying: Why Legal Help Matters
The article also highlights how medical advances have made it more difficult for doctors to definitively predict life expectancy, giving insurers more room to argue that an individual doesn’t meet the “terminal” definition required under the policy. This is a common tactic that leaves policyholders waiting for help that never arrives.
And when terminally ill individuals are told to “just wait” until death to trigger the benefit—often by lawyers or advisors—it underscores the emotional toll these denials take. Fighting an insurance company should not be how anyone spends their final months.
If your claim has been delayed or denied due to unclear life expectancy calculations or policy conditions, it’s critical to get legal guidance. These are winnable cases—but only if you're prepared to push back with experienced representation.
A Local Lens: Pennsylvania Life Insurance Disputes
While this is a national issue, we’ve seen many of these denials occur right here in Pennsylvania. If you or a loved one have experienced a denied accelerated death benefit or life insurance claim in Pennsylvania, visit our Pennsylvania life insurance attorney page to see how we help families recover the money they’re owed.
Why Media Recognition Matters
Being featured in The Wall Street Journal is more than a media milestone—it reflects the trust and authority our firm has earned over decades of life insurance litigation. We’ve recovered hundreds of millions for clients across the country, often in the face of aggressive insurer defenses. Our focus is narrow but deep: life insurance and accidental death claim denials are all we handle.
Get Help Now—Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
If your loved one has passed and the insurance company is stalling, denying, or rescinding the policy, we’re here to fight back. Whether the issue involves a contestability clause, an alleged misstatement, or a refusal to honor an accelerated benefit, The Lassen Law Firm has the experience and results to challenge the denial and win.
Contact us today for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless we recover money for you.